In a joint announcement on Friday, UEFA and the Amaury group, renowned for their ownership of L’Equipe and France Football magazine, the creators of the Ballon d’Or, confirmed their partnership to co-host the awards ceremony starting in the coming year.
While the Amaury group, based in Paris, will retain ownership of the Ballon d’Or and maintain supervision over the voting process, UEFA will assume responsibility for marketing commercial rights and assisting in the arrangement of the yearly awards ceremony.
Two fresh honours, for the men’s and women’s coach of the year, will be added to the roster in 2024.
‘We are very happy with this partnership to co-organise the Ballon d’Or ceremony,’ said Jean-Etienne Amaury, managing director of the Amaury group.
‘It’s a trophy created in 1956 by France Football, the same year of the creation of the European Champions Clubs’ Cup, so there’s a common history between UEFA and the Ballon d’Or.’
‘The ceremony has taken on a global scale over the past 15 years with worldwide media coverage,’ he added.
‘So the partnership with UEFA makes perfect sense since it is one of the major players in this sport.’
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According to Amaury, while the yearly event currently takes place in Paris, there is a possibility that it may be relocated to other major European cities after 2024.
‘It’s the meeting of the two best brands in football. On one side, THE trophy in football is the Ballon d’Or, and on the other side, UEFA has the best competition in the world,’ said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, alluding to the Champions League.
‘So there was a sense in doing something together. All players dream of winning a UEFA competition and the Ballon d’Or,’ he added.
The Ballon d’Or, initially established in 1956, originally honored the top European footballer each season until its expansion in 1995 to encompass players of all origins based in Europe.
As of 2007, the Ballon d’Or evolved into an international prize, permitting all players globally to contend. A recent modification altered the award’s evaluation to a player’s performance over the preceding season, rather than the entire calendar year.
This Monday, Lionel Messi clinched the award for a record eighth time, following his inspirational performance that led Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup.
The Women’s Ballon d’Or was awarded to Aitana Bonmati in recognition of her stellar role for both her club and country, securing the Champions League with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain.